The ATA has today released its submission to the national truck law review on heavy vehicle access, calling for governments to commit to a national reform program to deliver more productive heavy vehicle road access.

"In 2011, the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) was predicted to deliver up to $12.4 billion in economic benefits largely based on the assumption that the law would promote better access," Crouch says.

"However, in a report commissioned by the ATA, Deloitte Access Economics found the productivity of the industry has fallen since the law was implemented.

"Earlier this week, Infrastructure Australia’s 2019 audit found the use of high productivity freight vehicles has been limited and that continued restricted use of HPFVs [high productivity freight vehicles] will lock in high freight costs for businesses and consumers.

"Our international trade costs are already higher than New Zealand, Canada and the United States.

"Governments need to take bold action to deliver more productive heavy vehicle access.

"The new law must ensure road managers deliver consistent, justified decisions that are subject to external review," Crouch says.

"There needs to be process improvements and quicker timeframes that are focused on the need to enable freight deliveries in a modern, on-demand economy.

"The current national truck laws give road managers 28 days to make a heavy vehicle access decision, although there is nothing in the law to actually enforce the 28-day limit."

The limit is seen as "an outdated, bureaucratic timeframe from a by-gone era", with permits needing to last longer and not be specific to individual vehicle registrations and with a new focus needed on better low volume farm gate access.

"Permit approvals, where the route has been pre-assessed, should be instant," Crouch says.

Governments should to implement further reforms to improve access for Oversize Overmass and Performance Based Standards vehicles and proactively expand as-of-right access routes, he adds, noting that trucking is an important part of the cost of everyday goods for consumers.

"Modelling from Deloitte Access Economics shows that trucking makes up 4.4 per cent of the cost of a beer, 4.1 per cent of the cost of fruit and vegetables and 2 per cent of the cost of a new smartphone," Crouch says

"Implementing more productive heavy vehicle access on our roads can save a typical family $452 each year.

"For local businesses, it is worth an annual $80 million for wholesale trade, $70 million for construction services and $40 million for retail trade."

The ATA argues economic gains from better heavy vehicle access are also used by governments as a reason for heavy vehicle road reform, which aims to provide clear links between the needs of road users, the charges they pay and the services they receive.

"The ATA is a strong advocate of the need to reform the way governments fund the road network and implement clear and measurable customer-focused service level standards for roads," Crouch says.